Hull City prevented Derby County from completing a historic comeback in their Championship playoff semi-final second leg by holding on to a 3-2 aggregate win.
The Rams won the game 2-0 on the night, and came close to becoming the first team in the Football League to overturn a 3-0 deficit from a first leg, but it was not to be.
It was the perfect start for the Rams when Johnny Russell scored inside the first seven minutes, and they extended their lead before the half-time whistle through an Andrew Robertson own goal, but Steve Bruce's side held on to set up an all-Yorkshire playoff final against Sheffield Wednesday at Wembley on May 28.
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It was a ferocious start from Derby, with Andreas Weimann showing early signs that head coach Darren Wassall was right to throw him into the starting lineup.
The Rams nabbed the early goal that they needed as Cyrus Christie stormed down the right flank before whipping the ball into the box.
Weimann got a head to it before nodding it down for Russell, who stabbed it home on his second attempt from close range.
The Tigers tried to respond at the other end with Moses Odubajo, who crossed the ball into the area from the right-hand side, searching for Mohamed Diame, but he just missed him by an inch.
Will Hughes orchestrated most of Derby's attacks, and on numerous occasions he managed to evade a handful of defenders to dance his way into the box.
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Russell had an opportunity to score his second in the first half from a free kick, but his attempt just fell wide, and that was not the only time that a set piece was wasted - Jeff Hendrick's attempt drove into the wall.
The play was still alive, though, and the ball bobbled out to Craig Bryson, who unleashed a thumping shot towards goal, but it missed the target by inches.
Hull's first shot came in the 26th minute, and it was a wasted opportunity as Jake Livermore blazed the ball over the bar after finding acres of space on the right corner of the box.
Odubajo also had a decent opportunity as Derby struggled to scramble away the ball in their box, but the midfielder failed to get a shot away.
The Rams' comeback continued nine minutes from the half-time whistle when Robertson turned the ball into his own net.
It was a slick move from Derby as Marcus Olsson sent a perfectly-weighted low cross into the area after driving to the byline.
Weimann got himself forward ready for a tap-in, but he did not need to as Robertson messed up his clearance and ended up kicking the ball into his own net.
Almost immediately after conceding a second, Hull were shouting for a penalty when Odubajo was taken out on the edge of the box, but referee Michael Oliver waved away their claims.
After the break, Derby squandered an early chance to nab a third when Weimann's cross into the box found Bryson, but the midfielder got his feet in a muddle and ended up poking the ball wide with his thigh.
Weimann kept the ball in play, though, and went for glory himself, but ended up smashing the ball into the side-netting.
The Rams carried their momentum from the first half into the second and proved a constant threat, but tired legs began to show, giving Hull more opportunities to strike.
Robert Snodgrass had a chance from a free kick just outside the area, but he ended up smashing the ball into the wall.
Minutes later, the midfielder looked to be through on goal thanks to Abel Hernandez's pass, but Jake Shackell got a vital touch on the ball to redirect it into Scott Carson's gloves.
Some sloppiness from Derby resulted in Hendrick's pass going straight to Diame, who fired from the edge of the box, but his low shot drifted wide.
The visitors created more chances as the game went on, one of which came from Tom Ince, whose shot was sent wide by Michael Dawson.
Minutes later, the Hull keeper was called upon when Chris Martin took a stab at the ball from inside the box, but it was punched clear.
As the clock ticked down, the Tigers took more control of the match and created some passages of play themselves.
In the end, the hosts were able to hold on to their advantage and book their spot at Wembley.
Danielle Joynson
